🔍 CEH Module 2: Scanning and Enumeration – The Art of Finding Open Doors

 

🔍 CEH Module 2: Scanning and Enumeration – The Art of Finding Open Doors

Welcome back to our Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) series. After gathering initial intel in Module 1: Information Gathering, it's time to go a step further with Module 2: Scanning and Enumeration.

In this phase, ethical hackers perform active reconnaissance — probing the target system to discover open ports, running services, OS versions, and network vulnerabilities.

Let’s dive into the most commonly used tools, commands, and websites for scanning and enumeration.


🧠 What is Scanning?

Scanning involves sending packets to a target and analyzing responses. It helps hackers (and security professionals) know what services are live and how they can be exploited.


🎯 What is Enumeration?

Enumeration digs deeper after scanning — extracting detailed information like:

  • Usernames

  • Shared resources

  • Network services

  • System banners

  • SNMP data


⚒️ Top Tools & Commands for Scanning and Enumeration

✅ 1. Nmap – The Network Mapper

🔹 Basic Scan:

bash
nmap target_ip

🔹 Full Scan with OS Detection:

bash
nmap -A -T4 target_ip

🔹 Port Range Scan:

bash
nmap -p 1-65535 target_ip

🔹 Website:
👉 https://nmap.org

🔹 What it does:
Detects live hosts, open ports, OS versions, and services.


✅ 2. Netcat – The Hacker’s Swiss Army Knife

🔹 Banner Grabbing:

bash
nc -nv target_ip port

🔹 Example:

bash
nc -nv 192.168.1.10 80

🔹 What it does:
Connects to ports and displays banner/service info.


✅ 3. Hping3 – Custom Packet Crafter

🔹 SYN Scan:

bash
hping3 -S -p 80 target_ip

🔹 What it does:
Sends custom TCP/IP packets for firewall testing and scanning.


✅ 4. Xprobe2 – OS Fingerprinting Tool

🔹 Command:

bash
xprobe2 target_ip

🔹 What it does:
Identifies the OS of a remote host using ICMP responses.


✅ 5. Enum4linux – SMB Enumeration Tool

🔹 Command:

bash
enum4linux target_ip

🔹 What it does:
Extracts usernames, shares, and OS info from Windows systems via SMB.


✅ 6. Nikto – Web Server Scanner

🔹 Command:

bash
nikto -h http://target_ip

🔹 Website:
👉 https://cirt.net/Nikto2

🔹 What it does:
Scans web servers for outdated software, dangerous scripts, and vulnerabilities.


✅ 7. SNMP-Check – Network Device Enumeration

🔹 Command:

bash
snmp-check -t target_ip

🔹 What it does:
Collects system data via SNMP such as device name, uptime, software version.


📊 Online Tools for Port Scanning

Tool NameURLUse Case
YouGetSignalhttps://www.yougetsignal.com/tools/open-ports/Basic online port check
Pentest-Toolshttps://pentest-tools.com/network-vulnerability-scanningAdvanced scan reports
HackerTargethttps://hackertarget.com/nmap-online-port-scanner/Web-based Nmap scanning

⚠️ Warning & Ethics Reminder

Never scan or enumerate without permission. Scanning is an active test that may trigger alerts or even cause systems to block your IP.

✅ Always test your own devices, lab environments, or use authorized bug bounty targets.


📌 Summary Table

ToolUseCommand Example
NmapPort scanning & OS detectnmap -A target_ip
NetcatBanner grabbingnc -nv target_ip 80
Hping3Firewall/Port testinghping3 -S -p 80 target_ip
Enum4linuxSMB enumerationenum4linux target_ip
Xprobe2OS fingerprintingxprobe2 target_ip
NiktoWeb server scannikto -h http://target_ip
SNMP-CheckSNMP enumerationsnmp-check -t target_ip

🎯 What’s Next?

In Module 3, we’ll explore Vulnerability Analysis — identifying weaknesses and planning exploit strategies.


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